This invention relates generally to flashlights and more particularly to a flashlight of novel construction especially useful by firefighters and other safety personnel working in hazardous environments.
There are many known flashlights of various designs, sizes, and configurations, but few of those are specially designed for use in hazardous environments. None of those adequately satisfies the requirements for flashlights operating as firefighting equipment. For example, a light used by firefighters must be durable and impact resistant, and must survive drops of up to about thirty feet. It must be temperature resistant and waterproof. It must produce a high intensity light output to cut through smoke, fog, and dust. The light needs to be constructed in a way that it meets UL safety requirements in the United States and Canada and Cenelec requirements in foreign markets. In spite of these severe operating requirements, the light must still be portable and lightweight and easily attachable to the protective clothing or firefighting equipment worn by the firefighter so that the light does not impose any excessive weight on the firefighter and the firefighter has both hands free for other purposes. Because the firefighter often wishes to hold a light in his hand, the light must have a comfortable grip which does not cause the hand or arm of the firefighter to tire.
The hazardous environment in which a firefighter's light is to be used demands that the light have an adequate power source for lighting the bulb over an extended period of time so that the firefighter is not deprived of a source of light while in a smoke filled, burning building. To enhance the usefulness of the flashlight, it should be operable with either rechargeable batteries, which can be quickly recharged, or non-rechargeable batteries, both of which should be quickly and easily replaceable within the battery housing. In addition, the non-rechargeable batteries, when in the battery housing, should be completely isolated from the recharging circuit so that the non rechargeable batteries are not destroyed if the flashlight is inadvertently placed onto a charger unit with the non-rechargeable batteries therein. Otherwise, the non-rechargeable batteries may explode, not only causing damage to the flashlight but also possibly injuring the firefighter himself.
While the specialized flashlight must satisfy all these requirements for operation under very severe and hazardous conditions, to be accepted commercially the light must still be manufactured and assembled in a way which minimizes cost.
The firefighter's flashlight of the invention described hereinbelow was developed with those requirements in mind.